John Denham has hit out at chief executive pay and pay-offs – at the same time as commending councils for efficiency savings. Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Brighton this week, the communities and local government secretary vowed to cut back on pensions for the highest paid in local government, and ensure every council publishes details of pay, pensions, bonuses and allowances. He said: ‘The average pay of local government workers has increased by £6,000 in seven years. The average pay of the chief executives has gone up by £40,000. ‘It's just all got out of hand. And it's just got to stop. I don't want to see the pay or the pensions of local public servants dragged down by public anger at the excess of a few.' He pledged to tackle ‘boomerang bosses' who were paid off from one job and walked straight into the next. Mr Denham also announced councils had made more than £1.76bn savings during 2008-09 – equivalent to £98 for the average band D council taxpayer. The secretary of state said: ‘The Government's focus on local government efficiency has seen impressive rewards for the taxpayer without reducing the quality of public services. But making every pound work as hard as possible is not just about the cheapest deal – it involves making sure that money is being used smartly with an eye to the future. Mr Denham urged councils to make use of their purchasing power, and vowed to continue fostering a ‘culture of innovation'. SOLACE director general, David Clark, told The MJ it was ‘a bit rich' that Mr Denham had criticised one small sector of public services at the same time as revealing their massive savings. Mr Clark added it was ‘open season' on chief executives.
